Further sculpture inspiration

Two artists that have been a key reference behind the progression of studio brief one are Bruno Munari and Alexander Calder. Both created kinetic, mobile-like sculptures that had some kind of interaction with the space they punctuate. Calder was the pioneer moving to Paris in 1926, he found himself at the center of Parisian inter-war bohemia, alongside the likes of Duchamp. It was during this time that Calder developed sculptures made from wire, defined by critics as 'drawing in space'. Fascinated by performance art and by the circus in particular, he created Cirque Calder: a series of small, lightweight wire figurines that he employed to stage live performances. In 1930 Calder paid a visit to Piet Mondrian's studio and, completely fascinated by his paintings, suggested it would be interesting to make its geometrical elements move around: Mondrian disagreed, but Calder was so impressed that he even took up abstract painting for a short while. As a result of the visit, his own pieces took a more abstract form, with the introduction of geometrical shapes and primary colours. He pursued his quest to make the abstract language move in the three-dimensional space by finding new ways to animate his sculptures: from letting them hang from the ceiling and allowing them free motion, to actioning them with a small motor device. Calder's pioneering approach to sculpture, which he saw as kinetic abstraction, was integral to the evolution of modernism. He recognised that there is an intrinsic performance element in sculpture, to which the viewer becomes part of when they are forced to move around it or choose a certain angle to admire its form. 

A connecting sculpture such as those made my Calder could be used to map an environment. I think the key elements to bring through are the idea of performance and immersive user experience over the accuracy of documentation. The map would not be designed to be of use for direction but as a point of interest to document the user or its environment, challenging our perception of what a map is. 

Following in Calders footsteps with a visually similar concept was Bruno Munari ‘Useless Machines’, beginning in the early 1930s, he created delicate abstract works from paper, cardboard, string, and glass. Inspired by childhood memories of hanging swings and the strips of paper he used to cut out and watch float out his bedroom window, these sculptures are both a link to his past and a theoretical exploration into his ideas around functionality and art. Geometric mobiles create kinetic compositions in three-dimensional space, breaking free from the traditional static forms of painting and sculpture. They are called ‘Useless Machines’ because they do not have an obvious utilitarian function, yet they are not entirely useless. They function to indicate the whimsical exploration of his childhood, encouraging the viewer to contemplate their own relationship with the work. 

Breaking away from the traditional boundaries of a map, one of the oldest and most standardised forms of graphic design, by creating something 3 dimensional and abstract is an aim of the project for me. The simplicity of forms and function is a key transferable feature from these examples. Having a number of elements working in conjunction with each other to produce a cohesive outcome is the aim.